A new white paper from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment’s Climate and Energy Policy Program has reported that gaps in data collection are limiting U.S. wildfire response and affecting workforce support and planning.
The report, released in May 2025, presents new data showing that local and state fire departments contribute the largest share of wildfire response personnel, with more than 100,000 firefighters, compared to over 40,000 employed by federal agencies.
The report draws from public records, interviews, and cross-agency comparison to present what the authors call the most inclusive assessment of the U.S. wildfire response workforce to date.
According to the Stanford team, some workforce segments are often excluded from official tallies, including Tribal firefighters, volunteers, and private contractors.
The researchers found that Tribal fire programs employ around 1,500 personnel, including 1,000 primary firefighters. Most of these programs operate through federal compacts but were until recently excluded from federal pay raises.
The study states that around 15,000 wildfire responders work for private contractors and often include immigrant and undocumented laborers. The report notes that these groups may lack workplace protections.
Volunteer firefighters, who make up about 65 percent of the local fire service, also face challenges participating in national wildfire response systems due to reimbursement and administrative barriers.
The authors stressed that there is no central system that tracks all individuals involved in wildfire response across different agencies and employment types.
Abigail Varney, co-author and federal wildland firefighter, said: “There’s no one system that tracks each individual participating in wildfire response across agencies.
“This makes it more difficult to ensure that the systems used to coordinate wildfire response efforts are effectively utilizing resources and properly accounting for the diverse needs of wildfire response personnel.”
Co-author Avery Bick, academic fellow at Stanford Law School, added: “Failing to account for and integrate these groups within the fire response system reduces the available resource pool to respond to wildfires.
“It also perpetuates inequities in how we value and support different segments of the workforce.”
The report concludes that limited visibility of certain workforce segments leads to reduced access to training, benefits, and institutional support.
Michael Mastrandrea, research director at the Climate and Energy Policy Program, said: “Understanding the full makeup of the fire response system is the first step to making it safer, more effective, and more equitable.”
The Stanford team recommends policy changes to support underrepresented groups and improve data collection on all personnel involved in wildfire response, including seasonal and collateral-duty staff.
The authors say these findings build on their previous research into recruitment, retention, and fairness in federal wildfire employment.
A report from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment’s Climate and Energy Policy Program has identified a lack of unified data on the U.S. wildfire response workforce.
The report states that local and state departments provide more than 100,000 personnel, while federal agencies employ over 40,000.
Private contractors contribute about 15,000 responders, and Tribal programs employ approximately 1,500.
The report highlights that many workers are excluded from formal counts, including volunteers, seasonal hires, immigrant laborers, and incarcerated personnel.
Abigail Varney said that no system currently tracks all wildfire responders across different agencies.
Avery Bick said that failing to track all personnel limits resources and reinforces unequal support.
Michael Mastrandrea stated that full workforce knowledge is essential for safety and fairness.
The report recommends reforms in data collection and targeted policy support for undercounted groups.
The report builds on earlier Stanford research about federal wildfire job equity.
